For the first time over the centuries' old history, a warship from the South African Republic has arrived on a friendly visit to China. According to the local press reports on Friday, Shanghai port met the South African vessel.

The visit is timed to the 10th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries. Last year, delegations of the two states' Defence Ministries discussed the possibility of such contacts.

Local media reported that Chinese ships have only twice in history reached the South African coast. First time - during the Ming dynasty (1368-1644) and second - in 2000. However, South African ships have never before visited China.

According to a report of the China Daily newspaper, the first warship from the African continent to visit China docked at Huangpu River port Thursday, ending 600 years of one-way visits.

The SAS Spioenkop with "all religions and races in the new South Africa on board, symbolizes a new transformation in South Africa," Rear Admiral Rusty Higgs said at a welcoming ceremony in Shanghai, according to the report.

"I can feel the excitement of the ship's company. They' ve gone through a long trip and some quite rough weather. I know they are happy to be here," he said. The visit is part of the yearlong celebrations to mark the 10th anniversary of China-South Africa diplomatic relations.

A Chinese frigate escorted the Spioenkop into the port. Wu Weihua, chief of staff of the Shanghai Naval Base of the East China Sea Fleet, headed a delegation of military and local officials, and diplomats, to welcome the ship, according to China Daily.

"You've travelled a long distance to bring the friendly greetings of the South African people. We really appreciate it," Wu said.

South African Ambassador to China Ndumiso Ntshinga was also there to welcome the ship.

"A plan to send a South African warship to China was discussed more than a year ago as a way to consolidate relations with China. We also realized that there was a gap in bilateral naval visits," Ntshinga said, the newspaper reported.

"In history, the Chinese twice made voyages to South Africa, one during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) and the other in 2000, but we never reciprocated the visits," he said.

Source: SAAF Mailing List (17.10.2008)

The SA Navy is going to dedicate its only extensive visit abroad this year to supporting the government's diplomatic relations in China and other eastern countries, at a cost of about R30m. In the past and due to the navy's limited budget, these types of visits usually focused on training and joint exercises with naval allies.

"Strategically seen, the saying is that you keep your friends close and your enemies closer," said military analyst Helmoed-Römer Heitman.

"China is a future colonial power in Africa and it makes sense for South Africa to seek favour now.

This will mean that South Africa will become a client rather than a colony of China in the future.

"This is really the only alternative for South Africa, seeing as it regards the USA as an enemy and Europe as an officious entity in Africa."

Inter-continental ties

Navy spokesperson Captain Lisa Hendricks said one of the navy's brand new frigates, the SAS Spioenkop, will support the government's diplomatic initiatives.

The ship will also visit Vietnam, India, Mauritius and Singapore.

The trip will last from October until December and will deplete most of the navy's budget for these kinds of deployments.

"The aim of the visits is to create inter-continental ties with the East and the Far East and to develop co-operation," Hendricks said.

Source: flyafrica.info